Two of Leeds’ key contributors to the growth of Leeds’ sound system and visual arts scene share their memories with Yorkshire Bylines of how the scene has changed and developed over the decades. Out of what was originally known as “Roots and Culture” grew the “Sound System Culture” of today. Marcia Brown, with the help of Supa Yout, recalls its origins ahead of the Leeds touring appearance of The Legends Of Them, a play following the life of Sutara Gayle (AKA Lorna Gee), and the accompanying exhibition Female Pioneers of Reggae, which is currently showing at Leeds Playhouse.
Roots and Culture: the sound of heritage
Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, no-one ever used the term “Sound System Culture”, it was “Roots and Culture” – the music was the sound of freedom. Reggae music was the sound of culture and heritage dipped in the roots of our ancestral blood.
When our parents arrived in Leeds, they brought their culture with them. African-Caribbean families played reggae at home on ‘the gram’ (short for gramophone or radiogram) and we’d gather in the ‘front room’, mainly on Sundays. At the time, there were no dances and we weren’t welcome in the clubs, so we built our own spaces and our own sound.
It’s easy to forget now how widespread and overt racism was then. Enoch Powell’s “Rivers Of Blood“, the rise of the National Front, the constant police brutality and heavy-handed use of the ‘Sus’ law as an excuse to harass and demonise. My own brothers, Michael and Dennis, were wrongfully arrested and beaten by police. The Chapeltown community came together to support them, with Darcus Howe and Linton Kwesi-Johnson coming up from London specifically to campaign for their release.
Even the simple act of going out to the blues (parties or dances} could be dangerous; people risked harassment from the police or being chased down by far-right groups. Yet, in spite of it all, the music of the sound systems was at the heart of the community.
Leeds’ reggae pioneers
Pioneers like my uncle Johnny led the way. Running his Count Johnny sound system and a record shop in Chapeltown, he sourced pre-releases from legendary Jamaican producer Sir Clement “Coxsone” Dodd, supplying local sound systems such as Lord Desmond and Mavrick, and shops like Sir Yankees. Other sound systems, including Ambassador, ran their own sound system and record shop, creating a network of music in Chapeltown.
From those early home gatherings, the next generation carried the tradition forward, evolving from the humble ‘gram’ to full sound systems – complete with towering speaker boxes, pre-amps and 12-inch records or 10-inch dubplates – that became voices of liberation. We used to gather on Grange Avenue ‘Frontline’ to listen to Roots Reggae Steppers music, with stories from the community being told.
Each sound system had its own distinct history, role and distinct sound. In Leeds, Jungle Warrior played at local parties and christenings, Screaming Targets focused on a Rasta Man reggae roots and culture dub sound, and Vision Sound System would only be heard at the blues parties.
Roots and culture: not sound system culture
Mavrick International Sound played more commercial reggae, like dancehall music and rubba dub, often taking part in sound clashes – even Iration Steppas, who are still active today, maintain a distinctly dub sound. Each sound system proudly displayed its own banners, light boxes, some had artwork on their speaker boxes, and their own MCs (originally known as Toasters or DJs).
Sound systems would tour and also compete against each other. In much the same way as hip-hop artists in America may do B2B (back to back) acts. Listen to this competition from 1988 featuring Jungle Warrior vs Maverick (login needed).
Back then, there was not the access to equipment that there is today. Most of the actual sound systems themselves were built from scratch. Barracuda down in London was the person to go to for your amps and pre-amps. From here, you could then build the stacks: the bass at the bottom, mids in the middle and the treble up at the top. In the early days, Jungle Warriors’ sound system used to build their boxes in my back garden.
Supa (AKA Supa Yout) remembers that: “We used to put our money together, you know, and buy these speakers which was a hundred watt, 18-inch, and build our own cabinet. This is what all sound systems used to do.”
What time is prime time?
For Supa, his break started at the age of 17, when he was signed to R.E.M. International Records and was one of the vocalists for Jungle Warrior doing dubplates and singing live over the sound system. Playing dubplates and records was seen as a skilled craft: when delivering music in the dance hall you had to know how to entertain and grab the crowd.
In his own words: “There is an art to it, you know? Over the years you learn how to control the sound, how to read the crowd of people, how to know what music to play, by looking at the people and judging when to play your best music, and what time is prime time.”
Leeds has long been a hub for reggae, with bands and artists like Exile Intact, known for Lazy Day and The Bedrocks, whose cover of Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da on Columbia Records even made the charts. In 1985, the Leeds Reggae Concert was born out of the Rock Against Racism movement, which had staged the city’s first major festival at Potternewton Park.
Leeds Black Music Festival and West Indian Carnival
Sound systems would set up on the streets when it was festival time, creating a unique fusion of heavy bass and live music and community energy. The festival quickly drew international artists like Luciano, the Wailers, and Junior Kelly, with Leeds City Council providing funding from 1989. In 2015, it was officially renamed the Black Music Festival. Female reggae artists like Royal Blood, formerly a singer with Exile Intact, are renowned for their performances and for backing major national and international artists.
The festival and the carnival work hand in hand. The Leeds West Indian Carnival takes place the Monday after the festival. Together, they form the largest free festival in the UK, attracting families and diverse communities from around the world.
For Supa Yout, the Leeds Reggae Festival was unforgettable: his first chance to perform onstage in front of a huge crowd, alongside his band, the Ghettology Band, marking the start of an enduring musical journey.
Though he started as a singer, his skills as an audio engineer quickly stood out, allowing him to work with some of the festival’s biggest names. His expertise eventually led him to work with Sony and tour the world as an audio engineer, but he is still active in the local community, aiding sound systems on the technical works.
Culture, liberation and the voice of the people
So, there was never originally a term, “Sound System Culture”: that name developed over time. We had only “Roots and Culture” – the driving force for our voices: the voice of the people.
At its heart, sound system is about our culture and liberation. It reflects our experiences, the struggles, the trauma, but it celebrates resilience and the retention of our African and Caribbean heritage. The music becomes the vehicle through which we share our stories first-hand, giving voice to what we have lived and overcome.
Photos by permission Marcia Brown and Supa Yout
The Legends Of Them is at Leeds Playhouse on 18-19 November. The accompanying exhibition Female Pioneers of Reggae, produced by Museum of Youth, is currently on show, also at Leeds Playhouse, until 23 November.
